Have You Noticed? Simi’s Skies Are Getting Busier — And Residents Are Starting To Ask Questions
Sylvie Belmond 
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — Jacqueline moved to Simi Valley for the quiet. She found an air traffic pattern.
Speaking before the City Council this week, the resident, who gave only her first name, described what she called the “invasive, disturbing and non-stop” presence of small planes overhead, saying the constant overflights are eroding the peace many associate with life in the valley. It was not her first time raising the concern.
On Feb. 23, she pointed to what she said is growing flight school activity at nearby airports, including Van Nuys, Camarillo and Santa Monica. Student pilots away from the runway perform turns, climbs and simulated emergency procedures that can involve circling or repeated passes over the same terrain. For residents trying to spend time outdoors, she said, the interruptions can feel relentless.
She also raised concerns about aviation fuel, noting that many small propeller planes still burn leaded fuel, which she warned poses chronic, cumulative health risks, particularly for children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
She cited recent crashes as evidence of concentrated risk in the region: a May 2025 small-plane crash in Simi Valley that killed two people and a dog after the aircraft struck residential homes, and a Feb. 15, 2026 crash near Camarillo Airport in which a single-engine plane went down in a drainage ditch, injuring two people.
The concerns are not unique to Simi Valley. Similar complaints about overhead flight noise have emerged across the Conejo Valley.
Council members on Feb. 23 acknowledged the frustration but were candid about the limits of their authority: aircraft operations are governed by federal law.
“Obviously it’s regulated by the FAA,” said Councilmember Elaine Litster, adding that the concerns about leaded fuel were troubling and warranted attention.
Councilmember Joseph Ayala said he has tried making inquiries with the FAA and received no response. “When I see planes overhead in my backyard,” he said, “I’m thinking this is exactly what she’s talking about.”
Mayor Dee Dee Cavanaugh said she too has noticed more aircraft as well. When she is outside with her grandchildren, she said, she hears planes and thinks: “There are more than there used to be.”
FAA aeronautical charts show Simi Valley sitting beneath heavily layered airspace, wedged between commercial corridors serving Hollywood Burbank Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, and near busy training hubs in Van Nuys and Camarillo.
Commercial jets follow established departure and arrival procedures at higher altitudes. Below them, smaller aircraft operate under Visual Flight Rules, navigating primarily by sight within FAA-charted boundaries. Cities have no authority over any of it.
The result is two worlds stacked on top of each other. What feels like freedom in the air can feel intrusive on the ground.
